Fetish
by Geiru
Summary: What if the always serious and scary-looking Chief Ayanami actually has a fetish with cat ears! Read and laugh out at the OOCness of Ayanami!
1. Chapter 1

**I was thinking how it'll turn out with Ayanami being actually weak for a pair of adorable cat ears and so I came up with this. And yeah, Ayanami here is super OOC…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own 07-Ghost…**

Ayanami was silently trudging along the mowed lawn of the vast garden in the Imperial Palace. Hyuuga wasn't with him; it was only him and nature. The soft breeze that gently brushed on his cheeks soothed him. The melodious chirping of the birds calmed him. And the strong scent of wild flowers relaxed him. These are the rare times where he could spend the day alone and think of various things. Usually, he'd be thinking of strategies on how to corner the enemy but this time it's different. No matter how he tried to blend with nature, his mind just couldn't become one with his surroundings. His thoughts were currently filled with only one person. Teito Klein.

It was just a week after Teito Klein had escaped the military and was taken in the Barsburg Church. The past week, Ayanami hadn't been doing anything but look for a way to catch the kid along with the Eye of Mikhail. He wasn't in a hurry, though. In fact, he enjoyed making Teito suffer and he'll make the kid even more distressed by using Mikage, Teito's best friend. He smiled as he thought of various ways to torture Mikage and Teito which only proves that he's a real sadist. Then suddenly, he felt an unknown presence which made him look up just in time when something fell on him.

"Huh? It didn't hurt…" a tiny yet high-pitched voice said. A little girl with snow white hair wearing white fluffy clothes, a golden bell the size of an eye ball on her neck collar and has one pair of white and soft cat ears landed on top of Ayanami who was face down on the grass. The moment the girl saw Ayanami, she immediately stood up and went to his side. "Mister, are you okay?"

Ayanami slowly rose up into a sitting position and his eyes were cold and piercing as he glared down at the little girl in front of him. He wasn't on a very good mood so he wasn't planning to kill the girl as quickly as he could have easily done with his other victims. He'll make sure to squeeze out every tear on the girl and let her experience living in hell. He could've done that. He could grab the little girl by the neck and smash her puny head to the ground the moment their eyes met each other. He could've begun the torture almost as soon as he rose up but in every second that he could grab the opportunity, nothing happened. No blood, no amputation; not even a scream. Ever since Ayanami looked at the girl, he couldn't remove his eyes from her white cat ears that really looked as if it was her own.

"Mister…?" the girl asked, tilting her head to the left, her ears twitching to and fro that kind of disturbed the man. When the girl noticed him shift, she got curious on what he was looking at the top of her head. She made her ears drop that startled the man once again so she realized what caught him. "Do you like my ears? Do you want to touch them?" she asked and she moved in closer to Ayanami to point her head to him with her perky ears.

Ayanami had never concerned himself with many things around him. His primary goal was to find the Pandora's Box and retrieve his scythe, after all. But who could have ever thought that he'd have a very unexpected reaction at the sight of a pair of fluffy cat ears. His mind was telling him to finish off the girl but for some reason, the urge left him. He hesitated for a moment but when he stared at the soft-looking pair of flesh on the girl's head, he wanted to touch them. Slowly, he raised a hand and stopped himself an inch above her ear but an unknown force pushed his hand to finally touch the smooth mound of fur. As soon as his hand made contact, Ayanami was suddenly filled with bliss and felt very light. The girl purred like a cat so he wasn't able to help himself not to stroke her head.

"So cute…" he thought while smiling and slightly blushing. Then there came rustles on a nearby bush. "Ayanami-sama…?" the familiar voice of Kuroyuri called out and five heads popped out from behind the tree. Ayanami froze. The five also froze. A mere few seconds felt like decades as the five stared down at their chief, a little cat-like girl on his lap as he caressed her ears. No one knew what to say. Should they pretend that they were not seeing anything or should they assure their chief that it's all right to have "hobbies"? Either way, they won't be spared for sure so they decided to keep their mouths shut. Ayanami slowly stood up, that all five twitched. The little girl beside him was confused.

"What do you need from me?" Ayanami asked in his most natural voice though unsuccessfully hiding his flustered face. "Well, um… Miroku-sama was looking for you…" Haruse replied after receiving an elbow from Kuroyuri. "I'll be with him in a while…" Ayanami started walking back towards the corridors when he noticed the sounds of a bell behind him. When he turned around, the little girl was following him with curious eyes. "Why are you following me?" he asked. "I can't…?" the girl asked, her ears dropping in sadness. Ayanami resisted the urge to glomp the cat-girl and pet her when he saw the worried faces of his subordinates. But he can't just leave such an adorable bundle of fur like her, can he?

"So cute…" he thought and unconsciously lifted up a hand and patted her head. "No, but I'll be back later…" The girl beamed and purred and ran off.

The next day, Ayanami went aboard the Ribidzile to resume his plots for Teito. Though he didn't want to leave his new pet cat, he didn't have a choice and he can't risk being found out that he have soft spots for little fluffy things since it'd hurt his reputation. When he entered the bridge of the aircraft, he was greeted with five subordinates all wearing cat ears. "Ohayou, Aya-tan!" Hyuuga greeted with a bright smile.

Ayanami's eyebrow quirked and he was suddenly surrounded by red zaiphon that startled the five. Even before they could act fast, they were individually hit by Ayanami's zaiphon, leaving burnt marks on their faces.

**There, you have it. I know it's not much but I'd really appreciate it if you share your thoughts about this story by reviewing! On a certain turn of events, I might add another chapter… ^_^ **

**Geiru**


	2. Chapter 2

Few weeks have passed since Ayanami took in the cat-girl that he accidentally met during one of his strolls in the garden. He himself didn't ever imagine that he'd have such a thing for fluffy stuffs, especially for a pair of cat ears. During his rare free times, he would walk around the palace but after meeting the little girl, he'd always confine himself in his room right after a strenuous day.

Now Ayanami was back after a week-long mission. The two men guarding his room saluted him as soon as they saw the chief. "You can leave now." Hyuuga regarded the guards. "Ha!" they saluted once again and left on orders.

When Ayanami closed the door behind him, a tiny head popped from behind the bed. The moment the little girl saw that Ayanami was back, she bounced up and lurched to him in delight, the bell on her collar chiming along with her movements.

"I really thought you'd never come back…" she said, her ears dropping behind her head.

"Were you lonely?" Ayanami asked.

"Very!"

"You have to get used to it because I'm attending to work. Now, I have something for you."

Meanwhile, outside the door, Ayanami's five subordinates were guarding the door to his room. "I wonder what he's doing inside…" Katsuragi wondered. "Could he be doing lewd things to the little girl?" Hyuuga asked with a smug face. "Th-That's impossible…! Ayanami-sama wouldn't do that…!" Konatsu said with a flustered face. "Why not? The fact he holds interest in those things might make him do that…" Hyuuga teased even more.

"Anyway, why is a creature like her roaming around here freely? She could be a spy…" Kuroyuri said folding his arms. "Oohh… Kuroyuri is worried… Could you be jealous?" Hyuuga asked. "Stop teasing them, lieutenant…" Katsuragi said but Hyuuga just snickered.

Then suddenly, Miroku-sama arrived that surprised the five of his unexpected presence. "M-Miroku-sama…!" they all chorused, frozen stiff on their spots. They were not alerted because they were intimidated by the way Miroku-sama looked at them but they were worried about Ayanami getting caught in whatever he was doing inside with the cat-girl.

"What are you five doing dallying around here? Don't you have something more important to do?" Miroku-sama asked. "W-We were just…having a short break, Miroku-sama…!" Konatsu said. "Hmph. If you have time for breaks, then you must produce better results in your current mission. Open the door for me. I need to talk to Ayanami."

The five gulped. They didn't know what to do. They can't disobey the chairman nor could they risk getting burnt marks on their faces again. Either way, they'll be damned.

"A-Aya-tan is resting as of the moment and strictly told us not to disturb him…" Hyuuga covered up but Miroku-sama only narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Move aside." he ordered and the five wasn't able to have any choice but to comply.

Miroku-sama held the latch of the door and with one full swing, opened it. His eyebrow quirked for he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Behind his back, Hyuuga struggled hard not to laugh as the five took a peek inside out of curiosity. Inside the room, Ayanami was crouched on the floor like an overgrown cat while holding what seemed like a cattail stalk. He had such a gentle yet idiotic smile on his face that it was almost hilarious to know he could even smile like that. Obviously, he became soft in front of the girl. On the opposite side was the white cat-like girl, her eyes bright and her butt wiggling as if preparing herself to catch her prey. The moment Ayanami saw Miroku-sama by the door he froze in shock and his smile faded. He dropped the stalk from his hand and flushed hard due to embarrassment.

"And here I was wondering why there have been no improvements in the capture of Teito Klein… So you were wasting your time playing with a feline…" Miroku-sama reprimanded while being embarrassed himself for seeing such a disgraceful side of Ayanami.

"Ayanami-sama's not wasting time! He's keeping me company!" the girl suddenly said. "What's the difference? And what kind of creature are you? Why are you in the grounds of the Imperial Palace?" Miroku-sama interrogated with a suspicious glare.

The girl flinched and hid behind Ayanami who stood up, still humiliated for getting caught in that pose. "Leave her alone, Miroku-sama. It is I you have business with right?" he said. "To tell you the truth, I am not happy with your progress and witnessing this has alarmed me to do extreme measures." Miroku-sama eyed the little girl behind Ayanami who was arching her back in hostility. "It seems like you have an unusual attachment with that creature which I find really unsettling. But if you don't show me favorable results, I'll be forced to take her away…"

Ayanami's eyes narrowed in disagreement and the girl clung on his arm in fear. "It's mad but I'll really do it if you leave me no choice." Miroku-sama said and he left. "I don't want to be taken by that man~!" the little girl whined. "Don't worry. I won't let him…" Ayanami assured, his eyes reflecting bloodlust.

**Obviously I really just wanted to make a laughing stock out of Ayanami but he's my favorite character in 07-Ghost. I like how serious he is that's why I'm inspired to troll with his personality. Thanks for reviewing the previous chapter, by the way. It really made my day. ^_^**

**Please don't forget to tell me what you think! I'd love some suggestions, too!**

**Geiru**


	3. Chapter 3

Ever since Ayanami was threatened by Miroku-sama of taking away the cat girl from him, he has been especially in a bad mood. There were times that he would get desperate and think of taking on Teito Klein personally. In that way, the mission will be done for good. But at the same time, he wouldn't want to go all the way just to capture him because it'll make Miroku-sama think he'd gone all frantic over a cat. Though it was true, he didn't want his name to be degraded even further what with the rumors about him starting to spread.

"Ayanami-sama, please let me make up for my mistake last time. I promise I won't fail anymore…!" Kuroyuri said that snapped Ayanami back to his senses. He assessed Kuroyuri's resolve and narrowed his eyes. "You know I won't accept another failure." he said. "That's why you have to leave this to me." Kuroyuri replied with a smirk. "Oho… Kuroyuri-tan's quite confident, huh…" Hyuuga mused. "Show me good results." Ayanami said. "Let's go, Haruse." "Yes, Kuroyuri-sama…"

The huge aircraft, Ribidzile, which was given to the Black Hawks and currently commanded by Ayanami, was in mid-air along the tall mountains where they could have a clear view of the Barsburg Church. When the sun began to set, Kuroyuri and Haruse began to make a move. They stealthily sneaked in through the gates of the Barsburg Church without any of the priests noticing them. They circled the church and came upon a garden where their target lay fast asleep under a tree.

"Hmp. How ignorant of him to be so out in the open while knowing that he's being pursued." Kuroyuri said. "Shall I go now, Kuroyuri-sama?" Haruse asked. "Y—" Kuroyuri was about to answer when he spotted a white figure among the bushes. "Kuroyuri-sama?" Haruse asked. "Hey, isn't that…?" Kuroyuri trailed off while staring at the bush.

Meanwhile, Ayanami had been quiet and calm ever since Kuroyuri and Haruse left. But suddenly, the three subordinates left in that ship noticed Ayanami become stiff and his eyes hinted surprise. "Did something happen?" Katsuragi asked. "Looks like it…" Konatsu replied.

Kuroyuri looked at Haruse who just shrugged in both confusion and worry. They had gone to the bush and discovered the cat girl over there with them. "Ayanami-sama will be mad if you're here…!" Kuroyuri scolded. "I'll be a good girl!" the girl said, beaming. "Anyway, get this over with already, Haruse!" Kuroyuri ordered. "Yes, Kuroyuri-sama!"

Haruse stood up and went over to Teito just at the same time Frau's head popped up from somewhere. "Hey, who're you? What are you doing here?" Frau demanded. Haruse smiled deviously as Kuroyuri launched a surprise attack behind the priest. Frau felt a presence behind him but was late to react before he was stabbed deep on his back. "Shit…!" Frau cursed as he fell flat on his stomach on the ground.

Teito opened his eyes on the commotion and got startled upon seeing Frau on the ground and furiously bleeding. "What the—!" Teito tried to stammer when he felt a sharp pain on his nape. "You're too late…" Haruse said. "Let's go before the others come!" Kuroyuri said and his zaiphon circled him. Haruse carried Teito on his arms and entered the range of Kuroyuri's zaiphon. "Hey, you! Hurry up!" Kuroyuri called and the little girl bounced towards them. When Castor and Labrador arrived at the scene, they only found Frau sprawled on the ground and unconscious.

"Tsk, they got us…" Castor said.

Ayanami and his loyal subordinates were finally back at the Imperial Palace along with great news. Ayanami spared no time and immediately sought Miroku-sama's audience to deliver their victorious feat. Teito, on the other hand, was placed in a room. A tiny ringing sound slowly shook him back to consciousness. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was something white darting out of sight. He sprang up in bed and looked around. He then looked under the bed and saw the little girl down there.

"A little girl…?" he thought. "Hey, what are you doing down there? Come out here… I won't hurt you…" he told the white fluffy being that curled up as far away as possible for him to reach her.

The little girl, sensing he wasn't harmful, slowly crept towards him. When she was finally out from under the bed, Teito actually blushed.

"H-How cute…" he muttered. The girl tilted her head and examined Teito's face. She was still hesitating if he's bad or not. "What's your name? Are you lost?" Teito asked the girl who just shook her head. Teito pursed his lips. _Maybe just a bit won't hurt…_ he thought and he slowly reached out his hand to her. The girl, upon seeing his hand move, flinched. She held her eyes shut until she felt the warm touch of his hand on her head so she looked up only to see Teito smiling. "You kind of remind me of Mikage—"

Teito suddenly froze stiff on his spot as he slowly recalled what happened. "I-I need to get out of here…!" he exclaimed and he looked around for an escape route.

The girl pointed her little finger to a door and opened her mouth to speak. "The door's open." she said. Teito stared at the door suspiciously. _Could this be a trap…?_ he thought. "I left it open when I came in." the girl added that surprised the young man. "Are you with the Black Hawks?" Teito asked but abruptly stopped. _If she was, she wouldn't have pointed out that the door's unlocked…_ he added in his thoughts. "Black…Hawks…?" the girl asked, cocking her head in confusion. "Y-You don't know the Black Hawks…? Then why are you here…?" The girl beamed. "I love it here!" she exclaimed.

Teito wasn't sure how to respond so he just let it be. "Anyway, I need to go back to Barsburg Church. Frau was deeply wounded… You're not safe here either so you must come with me." he said and he pulled the girl by her arm and slipped out of that room.

As he was crossing the garden towards the back door of the Imperial Palace, Ayanami happened to pass by and caught him in his verge of escape. Teito was halfway to his destination when Ayanami suddenly blocked his path with a dead serious look on his face.

"Where do you think you're going…Teito Klein…? Prisoners must act like prisoners and remain on their cell." he said in a sharp and cold voice. "Ayana—" the girl was about to lounge towards Ayanami but Teito held on her tight. "Don't! He's dangerous!" he warned that Ayanami's brow quirked when he saw how Teito held his precious little pet.

"You dare lay your—" the commander of the Black Hawks was about to explode when the little girl suddenly spoke. "Ayanami-sama's not dangerous! He's very kind to me! He plays with me, gives me many presents and always let me sleep on his lap!" she cried, fuming that took Teito and Ayanami off-guard. "Wh-Who…?" Teito asked, unsure of what he just heard. "Ayanami-sama, of course!" she placed her hands on her waist with a pout.

Slowly, Ayanami's cheeks grew hot until he was red all over. He tried hard to hide his embarrassment but to no avail. Teito just gaped at him; dumbfounded. _What would Frau and the others say if they hear about this…? _he thought. Ayanami noticed Teito's expression and it was as if he could read what was running on the young man's mind that he glared at him, enough to make him feel threatened.

Teito was at a loss for words. He didn't look at Ayanami and scratched his head. _Well, this is kind of awkward…_ he thought and said, "I-I guess I'll just pretend I didn't hear anything…"

Ayanami didn't say a word and turned around to leave. "Your attempts of escape will be in vain. You have no other choice but to follow my orders." he said and he marched on. "See you later, then, mister…!" the little girl said and she followed behind Ayanami.

_That was no laughing matter…_ Teito thought, bewildered. He imagined how Ayanami would've looked like as he was 'being kind' or 'playing hide-and-seek' or 'handing out presents' but no matter how hard he tried to make the picture look good, he just couldn't seem to fit the image of the commander of Black Hawks in any of those situations. But it also surprised him when he suddenly got hostile when he just merely held the girl's arm. "I bet Frau would have laughed his ass off if he knew that _that_ Ayanami would lose his nerve just by having his kitten touched…"

**I thank you all for your reviews so far and I apologize for not updating for a long while… My blocks these days keep on getting worse… TT^TT …Please bear with my OOCness and review for suggestions… ^_^! -Geiru**


	4. Chapter 4

It was a gloomy day. Thick clouds slowly gathered in the vast sky until everything was a shade of gray. Soon, droplets of rain pattered on the roofs of the Imperial Palace and turned the grounds damp, quenching the agonizing thirst of the earth. As if the weather was affecting his mood, the chief of the Black Hawks sat on his throne inside the Ribidzile with an eerie silence. Never had his subordinates saw him wearing such a problematic face before.

"What could be bothering the Chief, I wonder?" Kuroyuri wondered in worry. "Beats me…" Konatsu muttered, shrugging his shoulders. Then the entrance to the bridge control opened with a whoosh and Hyuuga came in. "Yo. It's pouring outside, isn't it?" he greeted with a wide smile. He walked towards Ayanami and noticed his unusual facial expression. "Oya? What could Aya-tan be troubled about?" But his words seemingly just passed out through his other ear that his eyes didn't even waver. Hyuuga looked at the others and they all just shrugged.

Katsuragi beckoned at Hyuuga so he approached him and Katsuragi whispered to him. "Is it perhaps about the neko-chan…?" Suddenly, Ayanami's head swung to their direction with a stern look that both froze stiff in their spots. Hyuuga passed out a whistle and casually walked back towards the door. "Well, then, I'll be off…" he said with a wry smile. "Hey! You just arrived, didn't you?!" Katsuragi called out. "I forgot I have something else to do… See you~!" and he was off. _That Hyuuga… Leaving me like that… Now it'll be just me that'll receive harsh treatment from the Chief…_ Katsuragi thought to himself while in tears.

After that mission, Ayanami immediately left the craft and headed off to some place. What he didn't know as he was hurrying along the corridors was that his subordinates were actually tailing him while maintaining a safe distance. Ayanami went to the back garden and to one tree. There, under the shade of the branches and thick leaves, the little girl was sound asleep.

"Well, isn't she just all right?" Konatsu asked and he was immediately shushed by his companions. "Hmm… She looks paler than usual, though…" Hyuuga mumbled. The girl twitched and grumbled low incomprehensible words that came out as mere sighs. Her brows were furrowed but her eyes remained closed. She looked incredibly in pain.

Ayanami looked crestfallen. It was clear that he didn't have any idea of what to do to help the girl aside from stroking her head in an attempt to comfort her and ease her suffering. "What should we do?" Katsuragi asked. "Call for a vet, maybe…" Kuroyuri suggested. "But isn't she more human than a cat…? A doctor would be best…" Konatsu asked. "But the fact that the Aya-tan didn't call for anyone must mean that we mustn't do that…" Hyuuga added. "Maybe he doesn't want this to reach Miroku-sama's ears…"

"Anyway, let's just think of ways to help… We're not completely unaffected by this, after all… When Chief's in a bad mood, we won't get the very best day…" Katsuragi said. All agreed and they were about to quietly leave the place when Hyuuga stepped on a twig. "S-Stupid…!" Kuroyuri snapped. Then they felt a very ominous presence behind their backs and when they turned their heads, their Chief was indeed there, giving them a deadly glare. All five immediately straightened up stiffly, anxious of what awaits for them.

"Wh-Why…if it isn't Aya-tan…~ Wh-What are you doing here…?" Hyuuga bravely spoke up first. Ayanami narrowed his eyes that gave them Goosebumps. "I'm supposed to be the one asking that… What are you all doing here? Didn't I tell you to have your reports ready when I came back…?" Ayanami asked in a chilly tone that the soft rain felt like a blizzard. Kuroyuri elbowed Haruse that had him sweat cold. "W-We're searching for some Higanabana…" Haruse said and there was a long pause.

…

"Higanabana…?" all of them asked. "Uh…I heard that there are some Higanabana that grew in the garden… It's a flower also known as the Equinox Flower or Red Spider Lily… They say that it contains little poison but could cause complications if high dosage is inhaled…" Haruse explained. Another silence followed. Then all eyes landed on the cat-girl curled like a ball and to the red stalks of flowers surrounding her. "Ah, there it is… Those are Higanabana…" Haruse said that the four behind him practically screamed in panic. "Don't 'ah, there it is', me! Tell us sooner, idiot Haruse!" Kuroyuri yelled. And so the little girl was immediately taken away from that place and was placed in Ayanami's room. They were spared from his wrath because of that and the cat-girl got well after drinking some medicine.

The next day, Ayanami had a meeting with the board members of the military with Miroku. He reported their achievements and future plans with Teito Klein were discussed. In the middle of the discussion, however, they suddenly heard a loud explosion. Rushed footsteps then echoed outside the hall of the conference room and the door swung open. "Reporting, sir! Teito Klein has put up a struggle to escape! It seems like a priest infiltrated the grounds to help him…!" one soldier said.

Miroku looked at Ayanami and he nodded. Meanwhile, Teito and Frau were speeding on the corridors while looking for a way out. "There! A Hawkzile!" Teito pointed at the far end. "Hurry up, brat. We're getting out of here…!" Frau said. They reached the Hawkzile and mounted in haste. Just when they managed to get it off the ground, Ayanami arrived. "You're not going anywhere, Teito Klein…" he said and he raised his hand.

Ayanami's zaiphon circled his hand and when they thought that he was about to attack, he suddenly hesitated that quite confused Teito. "H-Hey, that hurts!" Frau complained. Teito turned around and was shocked to see that the little girl had managed to climb along with them aboard the Hawkzile and she had bitten his leg. "Stop that, you shitty cat!" Frau growled and he wrenched the girl away from his leg. Even as he held her, she was struggling to scratch him in the face. "I won't let you get away~!" the little girl cried in her high-pitch voice while hissing and randomly clawing at Frau. "What's with this creature?"

"Don't hurt her. She's—" Teito wasn't able to finish what he wanted to say when Frau threw the girl to him. "—well, whatever. I don't know why he didn't attack but we oughta be outta here now…" Frau said and he maneuvered the Hawkzile away from the palace along with the hostile fur ball in a form of a little girl.

"Ayanami-sama! What happened?!" Katsuragi asked as he was rushing to their Chief's side along with the others. Ayanami didn't respond to his question, though. He remained still, as if he suddenly became a statue. "Aya-tan…?" Hyuuga asked. He was answered by Ayanami facing them with one hell of a scary face. "We're going after them." he said, so sharp he could cut at tree with just those words. "I'm having a bad feeling about this…" Hyuuga muttered and they all followed their chief who's fuming in rage.

**A/N: Now we're in for another twist! What will Ayanami do now that his fluffy little pet was taken away from him by the enemy? I'll appreciate it if you let me hear your comments about this chapter and I'm also sorry for not updating for so long… Just go easy on me… ^u^ -Geiru**


	5. Chapter 5

The dreary sky lifted up while Teito and Frau breezed through the air mounted on the stolen Hawkzile. It had been a few hours since their escape from the Imperial Palace and surprisingly, no pursuers were after them. The sun has now set and the Barsburg Church was already in view. Ever since they left the enemy territory, the little girl became more and more restless that Teito had a hard time to calm her down. But when she got tired from all the struggling, she fell asleep in Teito's arms.

"Phew…" Teito sighed, wiping off sweat from his forehead. "She finally settled down?" Frau asked, looking at the young man over his shoulder and the fluffy creature with him. "Well, yeah…" he checked again at the girl who was soundly asleep, though her brows were furrowed in discomfort. "Just what is she? What was she doing in that place? And why did she want to stop you from leaving…?" Teito just shrugged. "All I know is that she's somehow—" he was about to spill Ayanami's unusual attachment to the girl when he remembered his piercing glare that it somehow gave him the chills. "Somehow…?" Frau probed on, curious. "W-Well…that's… Ah! It's Castor-san and Labrador-san…!" he pointed at a distance and Castor and Labrador were indeed waiting for them by the gates.

"I'm glad you made it in one piece…" Labrador said with a gentle smile the moment they went off the Hawkzile. "Hm? What are you carrying, Teito-kun…?" Castor asked, noticing the clump of fur he was holding. "Well…" Teito trailed off, hesitant. "Anyway, let's leave that for later. You must be tired from everything that happened today so let's get in for the meantime." Teito just nodded in agreement.

Castor asked some sisters to arrange a room for the little girl but Teito insisted to just put her in his room. When he laid her down his bed, she almost looked like a balled-up blanket from her sleeping position. "Ayanami-sama…" she mumbled through her sleep; it came out as a sob, though, but her words immediately caught the three bishops' attention. "Hey, brat. I was asking you about her a while ago… What made you so hesitant to say something? She must be a spy sent by that Ayanami." Frau said, eyeing the girl suspiciously. "Um… She's not a spy, I'm sure… The reason I can't tell you what I know about her is because it's…kinda hard to say…" Teito said, also looking at the white cat-girl. Mikage was also curious about her that he'd stare at her in wonder.

In the end, Teito told them that the little fluff ball was some kind of a pet of Ayanami that he seemingly holds dear. "…he even glared at me when I merely grabbed her arm… I guess that was also the reason he didn't attack me and Frau while we were escaping…" Teito finished explaining. Castor's and Labrador's faces were blank and their jaws were dropped open with what they just heard. As expected, Frau was on the floor, holding his stomach in laughter. "S-Seriously?! _That_ cold-faced and stiff guy Ayanami?! That's just so plain hilarious…!" Frau chortled, banging his fist on the floor, tears lining the sides of his eyes.

Meanwhile, aboard in Ribidzile and in his throne, Ayanami suddenly felt like he heard Frau's voice drowning in a feat of laughter and it made him clench his fists that were just resting on the arm of the chair until a moment ago. It irked him to think of the rotten bishop's utterly unpleasant face as he laughed his ass off upon learning about his favorite.

Ayanami was quiet for the whole time, cracking his brains on how to retrieve his adorable and beloved pet. He wasn't thinking the least bit about Miroku-sama's words of giving top priority to Teito Klein's recapture over "personal belongings". He just couldn't agree with him and that made him even more infuriated.

Back in the church, the girl's soft pair of ears twitched when she slowly got aware of the noise around her. Mikage saw this and scampered right up to Teito's shoulder. "Hm? What's wrong, Mikage…?" he asked and saw the mound of fur move. "She's awake." His statement jerked Castor's and Labrador's frozen stiff heads to the direction of the girl while Frau scrambled up his feet to take a good look at the creature in topic.

Slowly, the little girl sat up, the bell on her collar rang as she moved, rubbed her eyes, and looked up at the unfamiliar faces. "Where…am I…?" she asked, her ears dropping, when she noticed that she was in a place she knew nothing about. Instead of feeling sorry for her, the four, instead, found bliss and warmth with her purity and fluffiness. She almost looked like a lost cat looking for her home. "I-I think I can partly understand his feelings…" Castor muttered, not believing he'd ever say those words himself. "She's so adorable I want to cuddle her…" Labrador mused. "Irresistible, right…?" Teito added. "I can never win over this one…" Frau muttered.

The girl looked around and her eyes began to well in tears. "Ayanami-sama…? Where's Ayanami-sama…?" she asked, her voice shaking that got the four in a state of panic. "S-Say, do you remember me…?" Teito asked in an attempt to distract her. The girl looked at Teito, apprehension clear in her eyes, but her ears perked when she recognized him. "You're that onii-chan in the guarded room…!" she said, pointing at him. "That's right… We won't hurt you so don't cry, okay…?" But his words didn't seem to have taken effect since she suddenly looked sad again. "Will Ayanami-sama come get me…? I'm scared of this place… I must not be here…" Teito glanced at the bishops in worry so Castor stepped up that made the girl back away, wary of him. "You don't have to be scared… This place will protect you. If you go back to that place, the people there might harm you…" he explained in a mellow tone. "But I need to go back to that place! I want to go back to where Ayanami-sama is…!" she exclaimed, though she was still cautious of them. "Just let her be… She will just forget all about that place after a few days here." Frau said. "Don't worry. You'll eventually like it here… You must be hungry by now. Shall we proceed to the dining hall?" Labrador suggested and everyone agreed.

The girl was only familiar with Teito's face so she didn't ever dare to leave his side. Fortunately, she had been a good girl during dinner and didn't claw at anyone. What's more, she seemed to get along just fine with Mikage. However, after dinner, she just suddenly disappeared. Mikage was nowhere to be found either so they had to search for her throughout the church. While Teito was walking on a corridor, he heard something scurrying towards him so he stopped on his heels and waited. He prepared himself for whatever that may come his way but the scurrying just turned out to be Mikage.

"It's just you, Mikage…" Teito said, letting out a sigh of relief. Mikage climbed up Teito's shoulder and pulled on his hair, as if telling him to move. Confused, Teito followed Mikage's instructions and he led him to the garden where he saw the little girl sprawled on the grass. From afar, she looked like she was just sleeping but when Teito came close, he saw the visible frown in her face as if she was in pain. Her breathing was fast and irregular, too. "What happened? Hey, are you okay…?" Teito asked but the girl didn't respond so he carried her and brought her to his room.

After a while, Frau and the others arrived in his room, too. "What happened to her…?" Castor asked. "I don't know. She was already like this when I found her at the garden…" Teito replied. "She looks pale…" Labrador noticed with a worried face. "Did she probably eat something bad…?" Frau asked. "But this never happened before… Teito-kun, what else do you know about her aside from, well, being Ayanami's pet…?" Castor asked. "I didn't really have the chance to ask her since I was locked up the whole time… " Teito said. "Hm… It's just kind of weird to find a creature like her in that place…"

"Do you think she's becoming like this because she was separated from that place…?" Frau asked. "It's just a gut feeling but…she did mention that she needed to go back to that place right…?" Castor explained. "And she also mentioned that she mustn't be here…" Labrador added. "What is the connection, though…?"

Back in the Imperial Palace, tremors were suddenly felt one after another that it was almost weird since nothing like that occurred before. It particularly intrigued Miroku.

**A/N: What's going on in the Imperial Palace? What will happen to little neko-chan now? Is her being unwell, in fact, related to the unusual tremors in the Imperial Palace? What kind of plan will Ayanami come up with to retrieve his poor little fluff ball? Please review and let me know about your thoughts… –Geiru :3**


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